The 2018 Ars Technica Valentine’s Day gift guide

We open our robotic hearts to recommend a few treats for your nerdy lover.

We, the unfeeling and tech-obsessed robots of Ars Technica, are not ones for romance. We’re usually more concerned with the inner workings of operating systems, gaming consoles, and Internet regulation than those of the human heart. But we realize that love is a powerful drug and that Valentine’s Day is a time for many Ars readers to show appreciation for their partners. It’s also, for better or worse, a time to buy things.

So to help you nerdy romantics, we’ve compiled a few Ars-y recommendations that should do right by your significant other. To be clear: Gadgets and love aren’t always a natural fit. Don’t just buy one of these things and call it a day; take your partner out to dinner, buy them chocolate, do something you both enjoy. Or mutually decide that Valentine’s Day is a commerce-manufactured, stereotype-reinforcing holiday and do nothing.

Whatever the case, here are a few suggestions for treating your dorky lover.

Note: Ars Technica may earn compensation for sales from links on this post through affiliate programs.

Jaybird X3

There never seems to be a shortage of people who could use a headphone upgrade, particular when it comes to pairs that’ll survive the gym. And with every phone company under the sun going insane and erasing the headphone jack, jumping on the Bluetooth bandwagon suddenly looks wise. If your partner is facing this predicament, the Jaybird X3 should have them covered.

We tested the X3 against a couple dozen wireless workout headphones late last year and found it to be the best all-around choice. It has a deeper, more dynamic sound than most of its peers; it comes with an array of eartips and stays snugly in place throughout workouts once you have the right fit; and it can withstand a sweat drenching without worry.

But the X3 is not without flaws: its battery system requires you to keep track of a tiny proprietary clip-on charger, which is a pain in the neck, and on its own the headphone gets a just-okay seven hours of juice. Taken together, though, the X3 should make your partner’s workout a little more enjoyable.

Jaybird X3

Price: $99.99 at Amazon

Ars Technica may earn a commission on this sale.

Anker PowerCore+ 10050

Nobody looks at a portable battery and thinks “everlasting love.” But nobody wants to be left with a dead phone, either, and that’s what a good power bank like Anker’s PowerCore+ 10050 prevents. It’s one of what seems like a trillion variants of these things, but it’s reliable, it holds a decent amount of juice (rated at 10,500mAh), and, crucially, it’s small enough to fit comfortably into any backpack or pocketbook.

This model supports Qualcomm’s Quick Charge 3.0 standard, and it is indeed, uh, quick to charge newer Android phones in particular. Anker is likely the most popular of the hordes of Chinese accessory makers on Amazon, but you do get an 18-month warranty if things ever go bad. Again, please don’t buy this as your only V-Day present. But as one piece of a larger goodie bag, your partner should appreciate the practicality. Grab an extra-long cable while you’re at it to turn this into a little themed set.

Anker PowerCore+ 10050 with Quick Charge 3.0

Price: $34.99 at Amazon

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Jaipur

Jaipur is a fun and fast-paced card game designed for two players. In the latest update to our ultimate board game buyer’s guide, we called it an “excellent tug-of-war that provides a surprising amount of tense moments within a small decision space.” The idea is to take or sell goods from a central market and build up a repository of tokens along the way. But there’s a constant friction between selling items as fast as possible and trying to sell particular items in chunks for bonus rewards. The resulting mix of skill and luck makes for a playful time for board game-loving couples. Each game takes about a half hour, so it’s not a major time sink, either.

Jaipur

Price: $22.50 at Amazon

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Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle

Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle is one of the few games we’d recommend to people with any semblance of a relationship to gaming. It starts off with the feel of a “baby’s first XCOM” but gradually compounds and twists that concept into something thrillingly kinetic and tense. It teaches honest-to-goodness tactics without losing a simplicity that keeps everything in newbie players’ reach. Plus it’s adorable, in that fuzzy Nintendo way. Even the manic Rabbids characters could get a few laughs if you and your partner have kids.

Anyone with a Switch already knows to buy Breath of the Wild and Super Mario Odyssey by now; while Kingdom Battle looks far more niche, it’s just as easy to love. It’s worth a shot if your sweetheart could use a new game.

Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle

Price: $47.95 at Amazon

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Borne

Enlarge/ Several artists have made work inspired by Borne. This is a woodcut of Mord, the giant flying bear, created by Theo Ellsworth.

Theo Ellsworth

Really, you can pretend this says “any book you think your beloved will like.” If you need a nudge for your avid reader, though, we found Jeff VanderMeer’s Borne to be one of the better fantasy novels of 2017. It’s an oddly touching fairy tale that manages to say something about bioscience, being a parent, and finding meaning in a mad, corrupted world. It also involves a flying bear the size of a Walmart wreaking havoc in a post-apocalypse. Borne is at points weird, challenging, and a bit disturbing, but ultimately grounded in love. Sounds about right.

Borne (Hardcover)

Price: $15 at Amazon

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Jeff Dunn
Jeff Dunn is a tech reporter for Ars Technica, focusing on gadget reviews and other consumer tech coverage. He is based out of New York City, and he'd love for you to send him news tips. Emailjeff.dunn@arstechnica.com//Twitter@deffjunn

Maybe it's time to introduce my wife to the joy of Lego. I mean, she's never shown any interest whatsoever before, and couldn't tell you the difference between a Saturn V and a Falcon Heavy, but I'm just positive that she'd love the Lego Saturn V set. Unfortunately she's not mechanically inclined and I'd probably have to put it together for her.

I hadn't bought any Lego for many years, but when the Saturn V was released I couldn't help myself and got one immediately. I really like it - it uses lots of clever construction techniques to make robust cylinders, it has details like internal fuel tanks that you'll never even see after it's completed, you can separate all the stages to simulate the complete mission; it's expensive but it does a lot of stuff to justify that price. And it's about a meter tall, and comes with some minuscule astronauts for scale, so you can sort of begin to appreciate how enormous the real thing was.

Be careful gifting a previous generation product like the UE Roll 2. The reason it is dropping in price is that the UE Wonderboom is replacing its price point in the product line. But the Roll 2 is still a highly reviewed product and I haven't seen any reviews of the Wonderboom yet. Also be aware there are UE Roll 1 units (and Roll 1/2 refurbs) out there on the market. Look close at what you are buying.

Just a word of warning about new Kindle Oasis - its battery life compares unfavourably against Paperwhite. In my case, I need to charge it every week. This is compared to more than one month on Paperwhite or Voyage.

Maybe it's time to introduce my wife to the joy of Lego. I mean, she's never shown any interest whatsoever before, and couldn't tell you the difference between a Saturn V and a Falcon Heavy, but I'm just positive that she'd love the Lego Saturn V set. Unfortunately she's not mechanically inclined and I'd probably have to put it together for her.

Maybe to make it easier, you should order it now, and put it together before showing giving it to her.

I hadn't bought any Lego for many years, but when the Saturn V was released I couldn't help myself and got one immediately. I really like it - it uses lots of clever construction techniques to make robust cylinders, it has details like internal fuel tanks that you'll never even see after it's completed, you can separate all the stages to simulate the complete mission; it's expensive but it does a lot of stuff to justify that price. And it's about a meter tall, and comes with some minuscule astronauts for scale, so you can sort of begin to appreciate how enormous the real thing was.

Buying it as a gift seems a waste - buy it for yourself!

While I am sure the lack of Disney license helps keep the price down, relative to similar sized sets with Star Wars or other themes, this also a pretty easy set to assemble.

I said I would put mine together, one bag each day, but had a lot of days where I was done in 5 minutes. The design is fairly repetitive and the clear instructions are easy to follow when you hit a unique element.

And, it’s just impressively sized. Mine remains assembled like I’m some Lord Business, and sitting on my dresser it nearly reaches the ceiling. A sight and wonder to behold. I look forward to doing the same with a FH in 45 years or so.

The Saturn V LEGO set may be my favorite set of all time – truly fantastic. The only problem I ran into is that the damn thing is so tall I have to display it on its side, like the one at KSC. FYI, the set includes struts to hold the rocket when displayed this way, so LEGO obviously anticipated the issue

Game looks interesting, but I was thinking 7 Wonders Duel. The Spousal Unit and I enjoy gaming (though I prefer co-op, whiny girly unit that I am) and, while we've played 7 Wonders with the friend/family, Duel is really well rated on BoardGameGeek.

EDIT:...although I should add that they never updated the OS so it can't access the kindle store any more. Not a problem as long as you have at least one other kindle compatible device to sort out sending it files, but worth being aware of. There are some hideous hacks to try and get around this, with a high chance of bricking it, so I did not bother.

The power bank is just plain useful regardless of geek statusThe Kindle is good for someone who reads a lot, or wants to carry more than a few books at a time, whether they're a geek or notThe MoviePass subscription is practically tailor-made for normal couples who want to watch more new films but don't like the normal expenses

Supplement with flowers/candy as appropriate, and you've got a perfectly well-rounded Valentine's Day gift barrage.

Maybe it's time to introduce my wife to the joy of Lego. I mean, she's never shown any interest whatsoever before, and couldn't tell you the difference between a Saturn V and a Falcon Heavy, but I'm just positive that she'd love the Lego Saturn V set. Unfortunately she's not mechanically inclined and I'd probably have to put it together for her.

I hadn't bought any Lego for many years, but when the Saturn V was released I couldn't help myself and got one immediately. I really like it - it uses lots of clever construction techniques to make robust cylinders, it has details like internal fuel tanks that you'll never even see after it's completed, you can separate all the stages to simulate the complete mission; it's expensive but it does a lot of stuff to justify that price. And it's about a meter tall, and comes with some minuscule astronauts for scale, so you can sort of begin to appreciate how enormous the real thing was.

Buying it as a gift seems a waste - buy it for yourself!

While I am sure the lack of Disney license helps keep the price down, relative to similar sized sets with Star Wars or other themes, this also a pretty easy set to assemble.

I said I would put mine together, one bag each day, but had a lot of days where I was done in 5 minutes. The design is fairly repetitive and the clear instructions are easy to follow when you hit a unique element.

And, it’s just impressively sized. Mine remains assembled like I’m some Lord Business, and sitting on my dresser it nearly reaches the ceiling. A sight and wonder to behold. I look forward to doing the same with a FH in 45 years or so.